Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

Parallel rows of openings in a front face of a block expose blank spaces or selected letters on wheels mounted within cavities in the rear face of the block. An elongated curved magnifying glass mounted over each row of openings enlarges the letters. Player A writes a word in a space between the parallel rows of cavities on the rear face of the block and slides a cover over the word. Player B chooses letters to complete the hidden word. Player A rotates appropriate wheels from the back to expose chosen correct letters of a word in proper sequence in the bottom row or to expose improper unused chosen letters in the top row. If the top row is filled first, Player A wins. If openings in the bottom row which spell out the word are filled first, Player B wins. The openings in the upper row form the head portions of representations of a human figure which is progressively completed from one row end to the other, the end representation being a complete human figure suspended above a representation of a hangman&#39;&#39;s platform.

United States Patent 1 Gingrass [541 BOARD GAME APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Robert J. Gingrass, 721 Duncan Street, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii 96557 [22] Filed: June25,l97l

21 Appl. No.: 156,829

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 262,431 5/1964 Netherlands Antilles ..273/1 30 E Primary Examiners-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney-James C. Wray 45] May 22, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT Parallel rows of openings in a front face of a block expose blank spaces or selected letters on wheels mounted within cavities in the rear face of the block. An elongated curved magnifying glass mounted over each row of openings enlarges the letters. Player A writes a word in a space between the parallel rows of cavities on the rear face of the block and slides a cover over the word. Player B chooses letters to complete the hidden word. Player A rotates appropriate wheels from the back to expose chosen correct letters of a word in proper sequence in the bottom row or to expose improper unused chosen letters in the top row. If the top row is filled first, Player A wins. If openings in the bottom row which spell out the word are filled first, Player B wins. The openings in the upper row form the head portions of representations of a human figure which is progressively completed from one row end to the other, the end representation being a complete human figure suspended above a representation of a hangmans platform.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 THE HANG/MAN Ov "A Q5 o o v 5FREEDOM 7 INVENTOR JT GINGRASS iii 7 THE HANG/MAN FIG! PATENTEU HLYZZIQYS FREEDOM ATTORNEY BOARD GAME APPARATUS This invention relates to an educational game which can be conveniently played at any time and most anywhere and especially during periods of illness and travel. The entire game consists of a special block of a suitable material which can be easily carried in a persons pocket or a ladys purse.

It is a guessing game somewhat similar to the old well known 20 question game. A sight record can be kept upon the board or block and errors are very unlikely. All the necessary equipment for the game is part and parcel of the game block itself so that there is nothing to lose, nothing to get out of order, and nothing to become separated from the block if reasonable care is taken.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to present a new and interesting game device which can be easily carried upon ones person, that is, in a pocket or a ladys purse, and which is always ready for use.

Another object is to provide a game device that is simple in construction and which is economical to make and manufacture and also which is vendable in wide public markets at a reasonable price.

Other objects will become apparent upon careful reading and inspection of the specification and drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical perspective view of the front face portion of the game device;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the game device;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the peripheral curved face of a wheel means employed in the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the wheel means;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1 and shows how each wheel is accommodated;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

The game device consists of a block of suitable material indicated at l in the drawings. An attractive colored block of plastic material is preferred such as a block of the well known acrylic plastic material which presents a pleasing glass-like appearance and can readily be molded into any desired design and shape. However, other materials may be used such as wood, shell-like materials, etc.

Along the top portion of the block there is a row of alined small openings 2 and along the bottom portion of the block there is a similar row of alined small openings 3. Each row of openings is provided with an elongated magnifying glass, of plastic material, indicated at 4 or 5. Since the various wheels employed are limited as to size, the magnifying glasses are believed needed so that small lettering on the rim portions of the wheels can be easily read through the small openings 2 and 3. Each one of the small openings 2 or 3 is backed by a cavity 6 as shown clearly in FIG. 5, and this cavity is made by a suitable rotary cutter tool means that is slightly larger than the wheel or wheels which it is to accommodate. The cavity means 6 is provided with rotatable wheel means 7 and all wheels in each row are jour' nalled upon a common elongated axle means or rod 8. Each wheel per se has a peripheral curved outer face 0 upon which is printed or embossed the letters of an alphabet as shown in FIG. 3 at the reference character 9; but a blank space 10 is reserved upon each wheel so that when a game is started, all the small openings 2 and 3 do not show any letter whatsoever. To simplify the drawings, letters are not shown on the wheels in FIG. 2 but, however, each wheel is provided with a complete alphabet in the manner indicated in FIG. 3 and each wheel also has a blank space 10.

The back side of the block as shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a flat piece of material 11, which may be metal or plastic, and which is cemented or otherwise fixed to the block. The piece 11 has its elongated side edges turned to provide a pair of slot-like rail means through which a cover or slide means 12 can be reciprocated. The cover means has a lip 13 to act as a fingergrip. The face of the block shows or indicates the gradual formation of a man wherein the small openings 2 are the head of the man. The man evolves into full form when read from left to right. At the far right is presented the full man hanged from above and over a platform means 14. These mamportions and the platform may be printed or embossed on the face of the block.

HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED A Mr. Gray, for instance, selects the category of animals and then secretly writes the kind of animal he has thought of in the space 11 on the back side of the block 1 and covers this wirting by the slide member 12. His selection was horse. All the blank spaces 10 on the rotatable wheels 7 are then set behind the openings 2 and 3 and thus no alphabetical letters are in view. Obviously Mr. Gray could have chosen something in one of the other categories such as vegetable, mineral, country, etc. In any event, he must tell the other player which category has been chosen.

Now, the other party to the game, a Mr. Brown for instance, begins to name letters of the alphabet in order to eventually identify the particular animal mentioned. Each letter mentioned by Mr. Brown and not found in the word horse is registered by Mr. Gray in the top row of openings from left to right. If Mr. Brown said B," for instance, this letter would be obviously wrong and therefore a B is turned into position beneath the opening 2 at the far left of the top row. Next, Mr. Brown might say D and this too is wrong and the wheel back of the second opening from the left of the top row is rotated to show a D in its opening. Now Mr. Brown says R and this is a correct letter found in the name horse and this letter R is positioned in the bottom row in its correct word position which would be in the third opening from the left of the block. This play action is repeated until the top row is filled spells letters or the bottom row speels horse; and this ends the game.

Since there are only six openings to accommodate six wrong letters of the alphabet in the top row of openings, Mr. Brown will surely hang himself if he does not provide the name horse in the bottom row of openings before all the top row letters are filled-in. Obviously, no contest or guess word would have more than eight letters since there are only eight openings in the bottom row. Proof that the word horse was selected can be verified by exposing the space 11 on the back side of the block. This space 11 can also be used to keep score when many games are played.

It is to be clearly understood that the invention as disclosed is not necessarily limited to the exact form and details disclosed since it is apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed and believed new and which is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A game support block having a front face and a rear face and side faces, a first row of openings in the front face of the support block, and spaced therefrom in the front face a second row of openings, a plurality of cavities aligned in first and second rows in the rear face of the block, with a cavity behind each opening, each cavity in open communication with a corresponding opening, first and second series of aligned wheels, one wheel in each cavity, and first and second parallel shaft means extending through the block between opposite side faces and extending through the cavities and the wheels for supporting the wheels journalled for independent rotation in the cavities, each wheel having a periphery upon the curved face of which are a plurality of different letters which can be aligned one at a time with the respective opening and a blank space on the curved face of each wheel for positioning at the respective opening when the game is to start.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein the rear face of the support block is provided with parallel rail means spaced on a surface upon which a character can be made and a cover slideably mounted between the rail means by which a character can be hidden from view.

3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of representations of progressively completed partially formed human figures are affixed in a row on the front face and openings in the first row of openings are the heads of the partially formed human figures, an end opening being provided with a representation of a full human figure dangling over a hangmans platform.

4. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein first and second outwardly convexly curved elongated magnifying elements are provided on the outer side of the said first and second rows of openings in the front face. 

1. A game support block having a front face and a rear face and side faces, a first row of openings in the front face of the support block, and spaced therefrom in the front face a second row of openings, a plurality of cavities aligned in first and second rows in the rear face of the block, with a cavity behind each opening, each cavity in open communication with a corresponding opening, first and second series of aligned wheels, one wheel in each cavity, and first and second parallel shaft means extending through the block between opposite side faces and extending through the cavities and the wheels for supporting the wheels journalled for independent rotation in the cavities, each wheel having a periphery upon the curved face of which are a plurality of different letters which can be aligned one at a time with the respective opening and a blank space on the curved face of each wheel for positioning at the respective opening when the game is to start.
 2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein the rear face of the support block is provided with parallel rail means spaced on a surface upon which a character can be made and a cover slideably mounted between the rail means by which a character can be hidden from view.
 3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of representations of progressively completed partially formed human figures are affixed in a row on the front face and openings in the first row of openings are the heads of the partially formed human figures, an end opening being provided with a representation of a full human figure dangling over a hangman''s platform.
 4. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein first and second outwardly convexly curved elongated magnifying elements are provided on the outer side of the said first and second rows of openings in the front face. 